Mom Fumes as People Mispronounce Daughter’s Name: ‘Spelt the Way It Sounds’

A mom-of-three has been venting her frustration at the fact several friends and family members are struggling to pronounce her newborn daughter’s unique name.

The choice of name for a baby might be a matter of personal preference for the parents involved but research suggests it might have a more substantial influence on the child’s future prospects than many realize.

In a 2011 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, researchers found that people tended to like others more and form more positive first impressions if they had an easy-to-pronounce name.

To Lucy White, from London, the name she and her partner chose for their now 4-week-old daughter, Romie, isn’t all that difficult to pronounce.

Explaining the choice of name, White told Newsweek: “We initially liked Roman for a boy but then found out she was a girl! We did lots of research on the origin and meaning and found out it is an Italian name—I’m half Italian—and means citizen of Rome.”

White said they initially kept their choice of name to themselves. “We didn’t tell anyone in our family until she was born, as we thought people may not like it,” she said. “Thankfully everyone thinks it’s awesome!”

But while everyone has given the name a classically Roman thumbs-up, there have been some teething issues for a few friends and family members who have apparently struggled with the pronunciation.

“I’d say most of the people we sent a text to when she was born asked how it was pronounced, and around half of them thought it was ‘Rommie,'” White said. “Rommie is the most common but we have had other names too.”

White said they really didn’t expect there to be an issue. “We were completely surprised as we assumed it was obvious,” she said. “It’s a bit frustrating but we don’t regret choosing her name at all. I think it will grow in popularity in the next few years and become more familiar to people.”

That’s what prompted her to post a video to TikTok explaining the name is “spelt the way it sounds.” The clip has been watched over 4.4 million times with many left in disbelief at how anyone could possible struggle.

“How people cannot pronounced Romie ?!” one incredulous viewer asked. “My son has a unique name as well…People always ask me how I got it…and how to pronounce it,” another wrote.

White has been blown away by the response to the clip. “To be honest I was just airing my frustration and that it hadn’t even crossed my mind that it might be an issue,” she said. “I wanted to connect with other people that may have experienced something similar.”

But to White, the only opinions on Romie’s name that really matter are those of her partner and their kids. “Our 8-year-old boy, Ernie, said it sounds like a rock star’s name and our 5-year-old, Ruby, thinks it’s ‘really cute,'” she said.